Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leiden and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Leiden: $2,824 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Leiden
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Leiden Living Index
196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Leiden

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,824

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Leiden and in London

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Leiden and in London actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,824 in Leiden versus $4,086 in London.

Leiden $2,824
London $4,086

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,929 in Leiden versus $5,816 in London.

Leiden $3,929
London $5,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,034 in Leiden versus $7,546 in London.

Leiden $5,034
London $7,546

Living in Leiden costs roughly 31% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Leiden 111% above, London 205% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.79 €17.66

$26.62 £20.11

-25.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.5 €80.8

$108 £81.3

-15.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.71 €12.23

$10.39 £7.85

31.95%

Cappuccino

$3.92 €3.50

$5.79 £4.38

-32.30%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 €3.18

$3.01 £2.27

18.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 €2.67

$2.15 £1.63

39.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.88 €7.04

$9.35 £7.06

-15.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 €4.47

$7.84 £5.93

-36.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.79 £1.35

-30.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 €2.01

$2.06 £1.56

9.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.46 €2.20

$2.31 £1.74

6.49%

Eggs

$4.67 €4.17

$5.05 £3.82

-7.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.92 €13.32

$12.57 £9.50

18.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.67 €13.09

$10.66 £8.05

37.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.86 €14.15

$17.13 £12.94

-7.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 €2.55

$3.03 £2.29

-5.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 €2.08

$1.41 £1.07

65.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$3.05 £2.31

-35.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.98 €4.45

$3.38 £2.56

47.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 €1.57

$1.67 £1.26

4.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.73 £1.31

10.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.41 £1.07

-4.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$1.79 £1.35

-58.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.50 €12.05

$23.22 £17.55

-41.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 €6.42

$12.99 £9.82

-44.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.35

$3.18 £2.40

-52.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 €2.42

$4.41 £3.33

-38.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.89 €2.58

$3.87 £2.93

-25.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$128 €114

$250 £189

-48.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 €3.03

$5.71 £4.31

-40.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.28 €2.93

$3.33 £2.51

-1.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.71 €20.26

$57.9 £43.76

-60.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.47 €2.20

$2.04 £1.54

21.08%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$41.7K €37.2K

$37.5K £28.4K

10.94%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$39.0K €34.8K

$40.9K £30.9K

-4.54%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$276 €246

$376 £284

-26.62%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$15.21 €13.57

$17.88 £13.51

-14.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.1 €44.75

$40.01 £30.24

25.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.75 €40.83

$61.2 £46.22

-25.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.86 €10.59

$21.07 £15.93

-43.71%

Cinema Ticket

$14.64 €13.07

$17.95 £13.57

-18.44%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,749 €1,561

$2,865 £2,165

-38.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K €11.8K

$35.3K £26.7K

-62.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$118 €105

$116 £87.7

1.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.74 €42.60

$54.1 £40.87

-11.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 €104

$127 £95.7

-7.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 €124

$159 £120

-12.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,696 €1,513

$2,853 £2,156

-40.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 €1,257

$2,301 £1,739

-38.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,511 €2,240

$5,201 £3,931

-51.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,974 €1,762

$3,723 £2,813

-46.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,402 €6,605

$19.0K £14.4K

-61.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,788 €5,165

$7,881 £5,955

-26.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,100 €3,659

$4,818 £3,641

-14.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.8

4.65

-39.78%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Leiden: October 3, 2026

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Leiden

$1.4K 49.7%

London

$2.3K 56.5% 63.4% $893

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leiden

$341 12%

London

$434 10.7% 27.1% $93

Groceries & Markets

Leiden

$341 12%

London

$349 8.6% 2.4% $8.2

Eating Out

Leiden

$322 11.4%

London

$397 9.7% 23.1% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Leiden

$190 6.7%

London

$205 5% 8.2% $15

Getting Around

Leiden

$159 5.6%

London

$288 7.1% 80.7% $129

Sport & Entertainment

Leiden

$75 2.6%

London

$97 2.4% 29.3% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,696 in Leiden and $2,853 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 17% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $91.0 in Leiden vs $108 in London for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $341 vs $349 per month, with Leiden cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Leiden

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

12:20 12:20 PM

11:20 11:20 AM

1 h behind Leiden

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,089

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Leiden London 330 km

From you

Leiden
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Leiden vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Leiden wins on cost – living expenses run 45% lower than in London. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Leiden the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 17% lower in London. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,696 in Leiden versus $2,853 in London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in London. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Leiden – a meal for two runs $91.0 versus $108 in London. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Leiden is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Leiden delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,824 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Leiden hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Leiden and London are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Leiden gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.